Water control for disposal units



Oct. 6, 1953 J. H. POWERS WATER CONTROL FOR DISPOSAL UNI Filed Oct. 30, 1947 I & m id l/IIIIIIlI/l Inventor- James H. Powers,

His Attdr-ne y.

Patented 'Oct. 6, 1953 James H. Powers,

New York Westport, Conn; assi iim to Gle'neial'fE lectricCompany, a corporation of Application-(dctoberfio, 1947, SeriaLNo. 783,140

4 Claims. 1 a.

My invention relates generally to waste disposal-units, sometimes called garbage grinders. More particularly-my invention relates to the driving controls and --assoeiated partsior such disposal units.-It is customary-for thesedevices to be connected to a kitchen-sink or other receptacle which has water supplied thereto. 'The water is useclin-thegrinder to aid in thecomminution of garbage or other waste, and to hush the ground material-to the discharge pipe, which maylead to a conventional trap-and sewer.

If insuflicient water is supplied to the'wastematerial, the grindi-ng: process is prolonged unnecessarily, and-the ground wastemay-not be washed away from the'grinden thus clogging themechamsml- One of the objeots of the-present invention is to simplify thecontrolsfor the-drive of such a grinder.--- Installation of the unit can also be made-more easiiy andwtherefore, it will be-less costly-.- Another object is to increase the safety factor operation of these-devices -Sti-ll an other object-is to insureaproper flowof flushin water to the grinderat all -times when it maybe operating, andto prevent operation of the grinder if suflicient wateris supplied thereto These, and other objects; are obtained by -locatinga part-of thecontrol meoha nism ior the grindendrive-upon-a portion of the casing or housing for the'grinder -forexample -just above the grinder itself. h This-parent the-control is responsive-to the flow-- of waterin the-easing. Other parts of the-drive control are alsocar ried by-the casing so that all-plumbing a-ndelec-trioa-l connections need be made to the disposal-unit only;v and no connections need be made to any inletor outlet pipes or lines."

To make-operation safer, the nowcontrol may be combined with another-control whichis placed at the entrance or sink inlet of the-grinderhous ing. This companion control wi-ll permit water to flowintothegrinder or not; asthe operator prefers, but- "-WiHi prevent insertion of -the-oper= ator s hand or other-comparatively large objects into 'the casing while the grinder is operating.

This second-control may be eliminated, i-fdesired.

Other-obj eots and advantages, as well as details of thatwhich I- believe to be novel andmy inven* tion will-beclear from the following description and the claims appended thereto, taken with the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated an exemplary form of. waste disposal unit embodying thepresent invention. In the'drawing, Figl I -is a partial sect'ion and. side =view-of a waste disposal unit with controls-accordingto my'inve'ntion; Fig. 2 is an devotion at right angles to Fig, 1 with certain parts removed; Fig. 3 is a. plan view and partial section showing-the ffoh position of thesink stopper and associated flow control together with parts of the grinder interior; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the sink sto perassemoly alone in its on orgririding position; Fig.5 is a diagram indicating th'cohtrol mechanisms with their electrical connections and'themotor which drives the giinder'; and 6 is a Partial section substantially on the-lin'e B'6 of Fig.1 showing'the shape of certain parts. I a As mentioned-above, waste disposal units of the'c'haracter involved i'n the present invention are customarily used in connection witha Fig. 1 indicates the bottom or the sink at l0,-with fian'ges ll around thedrain obehihg. .Thegrinder housing" I2 is looated belowthe sink' and it has a final dischargefl to the trap -or sevver.- The grinder housing and its associated parts are joined to thesink discharge by' meansor a flanged cup-shapedfltting"l4.- A Siihfioiting i-ing '15 is threaded to this clip shaped fitting and engages under a flange l6 on'the top H of the grinder housing. A prop'ef'gasket or sen l8 provided in order to decrease" transmission of vibrations an to see the assemmy at this boint.- Bolts 19 extendingb'etween the housing audits top hold these" pai-tsjtogetherfl and their pper tips bear one; web 20 'of annulus 21 whicl'i surrounds the cup-shaped fitting. After the'thfeaded supporting ring and the 'housingtop' are assembled in proprrelation with'resp'ect' to each other, the threaded ring is fastened'to the cup-shapedfitting and the'bolt's are tightened until the annulus bears agains'tjthe underside of the flanges-H around the "sinkdischargeu A gasket 22 above the annulus is provided-for sealing and cushioning-of the assembly. I

The grinder housing proper-is connected to the assembly described immediatelyabove bynuts 23 which are threaded onto the lower ends of bolts l9 after they are-adjusted: i The top of the grinder-housing contains a chamber into wh'ch-waste and water are-fed for disposal. In the bottomof the grinder housing is located a fly wheel-or-rotary'cutter 24 whichis driven by shaft-25 from motor 26. --Cutter blades 21 on the wheel cooperate with stationary cutters 28 on the inner wallsof the housings'o' that when the fly wheel is rotating-the garbage or other waste is ground or out up into tiny pieces, provided there is plenty of water present. Opposite the edgesbf the' grinder fiy This control operates to close the motor circuit only when sufficient water is flowing within the grinder housing. In order to keep this control separate from the waste or other material which has not yet been ground, I provide a water passage in one side of the casing having an inlet or entrance 3| and an outlet or exit 32, this pas:

sage having an outer gasketed cover plate 33 which is removably held in place, for instance, by-

screws 34. Outside of this cover plate is a housing or compartment 35 for the control switch proper. This compartment may be provided with a cover 36 held in place by a screw 31.

Extending into the passage 39 from the switch compartment is an angular control lever 38 which is pivotally secured in the cover plate 33 throu h a stuffing box and bearing 39. On the inner end of this lever is a surface which may be in the form of a switch control disk 4!]. This disk will be in the stream of water flowing through the passage, for a purpose to be later described.

The outer end of the angular control lever is secured to a switch lever arm 4! within the switch compartment. This lever arm is provided with an adjustable tension spring 42 and variations in compression of this spring are obtained by a tension adjusting screw 43. By this means, the resistance of the disk to movement by water passing through the passage may be varied.

The lower end of the switch lever arm carries a switch adjusting screw 44 which bears against the plunger 45 of a switch 46. This switch is of the well-known character where a slight movement of the plunger will open the contacts 41 of the switch, the contacts being normally closed by a light spring 48 which is within the switch itself. The screw 44 provides for adjustment in the range of movement of the switch plunger stroke. By adjusting the tension spring and the screw 44, actuation of the switch may be obtained at any desirable predetermined flow of water throu h the passage.

Within the passage, and above the switch control disk, I provide a plate 49 which has an opening or nozzle 50. This will insure a proper concentration of water flowing through the passage so that the water will be directed against the disk, to operate the angular lever on which the disk is mounted. Upon removal of the cover plate from the passage, the entire passage can be opened for inspection, cleaning, etc., and the nozzle plate may be removed by slipping it out of the grooves 5| in which it is seated in the passage.

It is desirable to keep the control passage clear from all materials except water. To accomplish this, a sloping face 52 is provided in the inlet, and this face carries a removable screen 53 which will prevent the introduction of solid 'particles of any substantial size. The sloping of this screen will help debris to be washed away. Alongside the lower end or exit of the passage a baffle 54 is provided in the wall of the grinder housing in order to prevent rotating waste from entering the water supply outlet 32. Rotation of the grinder flywheel is in the direction of the d arrow in Fig. 6. Note that the outlet and bafile are located above the shredding elements, at a level where contrifugal and errosive action are not severe.

Flow of Water to the control passage described above is in turn controlled manually through a rotatable stopper 55. The position of this rotatable stopper 55 is governed by handle 56 to which a directional trough 5'! is secured, for instance, by screws 58 threaded into the central post 59 of the handle. Collars 60 on the screws provide proper spacing of the directional trough from the under surface of the stopper. The trough has a discharge opening 6| which is turned with the handle so that water can be discharged through the stopper toward or away from the inlet 3| of passage 30.

Rotation of the stopper handle can also be used to provide for holding the water within the sink or for draining water from the sink without operation of the grinder, as well as drain ing water from the sink in a fashion to operate the grinder as desired. In order to hold water in ,the sink, a stopper plate or disk 62 is provided and this disk has a shouldered'bottom 63 of generally circular form. However, in order to prevent rotation of this disk with respect to the cup-shaped fitting E4, the shouldered bottom is provided with unequal cutouts in the form of chords 64 and 65, and the opening 66 in the cup-shaped fitting is shaped to match and receive the shouldered bottom of the stopper plate. Because of the unequal extent of the two chords, the stopper plate will fit into the opening of the cup-shaped fitting in only one position. This will insure that the discharge from the trough will always be in the proper direction.

The handle is rotatably joined to the stopper plate but its movement is limited by the shape of the butterfly cutout B1 on the plate through which the central post 59 of the handle extends. This will be clear from Fig. 3. Further limitation of the handle movement with respect to the stopper plate is accomplished through the spring pressed balls 68 which are carried in the ends 69 of the handle. These balls ride in arcuate grooves or ball tracks H in the top surface of the stopper plate. Dimples or depressions 12in these grooves establish three definite positions for the handle with respect to the plate.

In order to allow water to pass through the stopper plate, drain holes 13 are provided with a spacing of about between each hole. These cooperate with a sealing plate member or spider 14 which is secured to the handle underneath the stopper plate. This spider has cutouts or openings 15 similar in shape and extend to the drain holes in the plate so that the openings in both pieces can be moved into registry for draining water from the sink or out of registry in order to seal the sink.

Angular lugs 16 and H on the sealing member cooperate to lock or unlock the stopper from the cup-shaped fitting, depending upon the relative position of the stopper handle with respect to the stopper plate. As shown in Fig. 4, these lugs overlie the chord cutout sections 64 and 65 of the stopper plate when the handle is in the on position of Fig. 3. Thus, these lugs will engage under the chord sections of they opening in the cup-shaped fitting and prevent removal of the stopper when the device is in this position al-' though the drain openings are in registry. When the handle has been moved to the seal position, these lugs will still partly overlie the chord sections and prevent removal of the stopper, but in this position the drain Openings are closed. When the handle is moved still further to the remove position, the angular lugs are clear of the chord sections and the drain openings are open. Therefore, in this position, the stopper may be used as a drain if left in place or the stopper may be removed entirely from the sink.

The stopper assembly may also be used to obtain a control which aids in the safety of operation of the grinder when combined with the flow type of control already described. Stopper control is obtained by providing a sloping cam surface 18 on the angular lug 76 of the sealing member. This cam surface cooperates with a spring pressed crank arm '19 which is pivotally mounted in a wall of the casing through the stuffing box and bushing 81. The sloping cam surface has a maximum end 82 and a minimum end 83 which cooperate with a tip 84 on the crank arm to tilt the crank arm as the stopper handle is rotated from the seal to the on position. A spring pressed control switch 8 5 he switch 56 may be controlled by this crank arm or a simple toggle switch may be similarly controlled, with a spring provided to return the switch and the crank arm to their off positions when the tip of the arm is not depressed by the cam surface.

In operation, the stopper handle is first moved to the remove position and the stopper is lifted from the sink opening. When this is done (ignoring switch 86 for the moment) and assumnig that no water is flowing in the sink, the switch 46 will be open and the grinder will not operate. The housewife or other user of the device can thereupon place the garbage or other waste into the chamber 85 above the grinding cutter with perfect safety. When it is desired to dispose of the waste, the stopper is inserted and the stopper handle is rotated to the on position. This action will open the drain holes. However, the grinder still will not operate unless sufficient water is provided. Therefore, when the water above the sink is turned on, it passes through the now open drain holes of the stopper and through the trough 57 from which it is directed into the passage 38. When the concentrated flow of water through the nozzle in this passage is of sufiicient velocity, the force of the stream will depress the disk 40 and close the switch 46, thus starting the motor and operating the grinder.

The grinder operation will continue as long as there is sufficient flow of water to keep the disk depressed and as long as the stopper handle is in the on position. If, by some chance the water supply should fail, or the drain openings in the stopper should become clogged so that insufiicient water passed through them, the disk would rise under the influence of the tension spring and break the motor circuit at switch 46, stopping the operation of the grinder.

On the other hand, if the handle is moved to the seal or remove position, operation of v the grinder motor will be stopped by the openi iing of switch it. Rotation of the handle away from the on position will turn the water directing trough so that water no longer discharges into the inlet of the flow control passage. This will open the fiow control switch because of lack of water fiow to the pressure responsive disk. Movement of the stopper to seal position will also open the flow control switch 46 by shutting off all water supplied to the casing.

If the switch 86 is used in combination with the flow control switch 46, it will assist in the safety of operation by opening the motor circuit whenever the stopper is removed, or is in either the remove or the seal position. The cam surfaces close the switch 86 only when the stopper handle is in the on position. However, it should be clear that the water flow controlled switch can be used alone to control the grinder motor, and without this stopper controlled switch; to make a less expensive construction.

It will be seen that the water confining passage, besides providing a convenient locus for the flow actuated drive control, will also insure that water entering the unit will be directed and. discharged immediately above the grinder. Therefore, even if the waste chamber should be tightly packed with garbage, suflicient water will be enabled to pass downwardly to the grinder surfaces, enabling the grinder to operate and the ground waste to be flushed away.

Although I have shown and described but one example of the device according to my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other embodiments, changes and modifications could be made without departing from my invention, and I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such embodiments, changes or modifications as fall within the true'spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a waste disposal unit, a housing having a fitting for connection to a sink drain to provide a water supply opening for said housing, said fitting including a rotatable member having a trough-like structure for diverting substantially all water flowing through said fitting toward the side of said housing, means for manually rotating said fitting, 'a waste grinding and water receiving compartment below said fitting, a waste grinder at the lower part of said compartment, a ground waste and water discharge beyond said grinder, a water flow conduit having an inlet at a side wall of said housing in alignment with the end of said trough and an outlet discharging tangentially into said compartment above the grinder, said conduit including inlet and outlet having a flow capacity exceeding the maximum requirement of said waste grinder, a first and a second electric switch in series in the motor circuit, means on said rotatable member for automatically closing the first switch upon rotation of said fitting to bring its trough into position to discharge into said conduit, and a sensing member in said conduit responsive to the minimum flow of water requirement of said waste grinder therethrough for closing said second switch.

2. In a waste disposal unit of the type having a water supply thereto, a waste grinding and Water receiving chamber, a motor driven grinder at the bottom of the chamber, and a discharge beyond the grinder, that improvement which includes a. water passage disposed externally of said chamber, said passage having a mouth communicating with said chamber near the top thereof and an outlet discharging tangentially into said chamber above the grinder, manually controllable means to direct water optionally from said supply means directly into said chamber or into said passage mouth, a switch in the energizing circuit of said grinder motor, and a pivotally mounted plate with actuation means for said switch disposed within said passage in the path of water flow therethrough and responsive to a predetermined rate of flow therein to operate said switch to closed circuit position.

- 3. In a waste disposal unit of the type having a water supply thereto, a waste grinding and water receiving chamber, a motor operated grinder at the bottom of the chamber, and a ground waste and water discharge beyond the grinder, that improvement which includes a water confining passage in a side of the chamber, said passage having a flow capacity including inlet and outlet ends thereof exceeding the liquid requirement of said grinder with discharge from the outlet entering tangentially into said chamher in the direction of grinder rotation and above said grinder, a sloping inlet for said passage near the top of said chamber, means within said chamber for directing water from said water supply into said passage, a screen for said inlet, a grinder motor control switch, and a plate switch operator disposed in said passage near the discharge end thereof, said switch operator being responsive to the minimum fiow of water requirement of said waste grinder through said passage and linked with said control switch for operation of said motor substantially coincidentally with the introduction of said minimum fiow of water above said grinder.

4. A garbage grinder unit of the type adapted to be connected to the drain of a sink, comprising a fitting for connection to the sink drain, a Waste grinding and water chamber below the fitting, a grinder at the bottom of the chamber, a motor for driving the grinder, a water confining passage alongside the chamber having an inlet immediately beneath said fitting and an outlet into said chamber above said grinder, said passage including inlet and outlet openings having a minimum cross-section which provides a flow capacity exceeding the maximum liquid requirements of said grinder, a motor control element in said passage operable to start said motor to drive said grinder upon the minimum flow of water requirement of said waste grinder through said passage, and a manually operable directional fiow controller in said fitting, said flow controller having a water directing trough receiving substantially all the Water flowing into said fitting and being optionally movable to any of three positions, in one of which the trough directs substantially all the Water into the inlet of the water confining passage, in another position of which the trough directs water into said chamber away from said passage inlet, and in another of which said controller stops flow of water from the sink to the chamber.

JAMES H. POWERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 216,238 Sutton June 3, 1879 1,965,033 Dillon July 3, 1934 2,121,719 Tavaglini June 21, 1938 2,156,075 Alexay Apr. 25, 1939 2,220,729 Powers Nov. 5, 1940 2,244,402 Powers June 3, 1941 2,286,520 Tranbarger June 16, 1942 2,469,205 Powers May 3, 1949 

